Hau'oli Lanui
by Heavenli24
Summary: Max Evans and Liz Parker were teenage sweethearts, but they haven't seen each other in 6 years… what happens when they meet unexpectedly at Christmas?
1. Prologue

**Title:** Hau'oli Lanui  
**Author:** Heavenli24  
**Pairings/Couples/Category:** M/L  
**Rating:** MATURE  
**Disclaimer:** The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, WB, and UPN. They are not mine and no infringement is intended.  
**Summary:** Max Evans and Liz Parker were teenage sweethearts, but they haven't seen each other in 6 years… what happens when they meet unexpectedly at Christmas?  
**Author's Note:** The title, Hau'oli Lanui is Hawaiian for Happy Holidays… you'll probably see why it's relevant in just a minute…

**Prologue**

_It was the summer of 1998…the best summer of my life._

_It was the summer of sun, sea, sand… and falling in love with the boy of my dreams._

_I was fifteen years old and just discovering the wonders of growing up… becoming independent, liking boys and finally escaping the watchful eyes of my parents. It started out just like any other summer: school let out on the Hawaiian island of Maui – my home – in May and the next few weeks were spent working a part-time job in the local surf shop on the beach and hanging out with my friends – gossiping about hair and make-up and boys._

_But one morning in early July, everything changed._

_I was working my usual shift in the surf shop, making sure that all the shelves were stocked ready for the rush of tourists and regular surfers that would inevitably come in during the day, when I saw him._

_The most gorgeous boy I've ever laid eyes on in my life._

_It was love at first sight._

_He was walking across the golden sand, surfboard casually tucked under one arm, black wetsuit unzipped, the upper section resting around his waist and exposing a flawless expanse of tanned skin, shoulder-length, sun-streaked hair framing the most breathtakingly gorgeous face I had ever seen, and my breath caught in my throat as his penetrating dark eyes met mine briefly through the shop window. Self-conscious, I quickly turned away, but then just a few seconds later, the bell above the shop door rang out and there he was, standing right in front of me, his lips turned up into a smile that turned my knees to jelly._

_I just gawped at him open-mouthed for several seconds before I caught myself, but before I could even muster up the courage to say hello, he'd stepped forward and asked if I wanted to go surfing with him later on. It took several seconds of incoherent mumbling on my part before I finally gasped out a 'yes' and he grinned in response, telling me to meet him on the beach in my lunch hour._

_He was from California and his name was Max Evans; he was sixteen years old and he was my first love – you know, that one amazing holiday romance that most girls can only dream about. For two weeks we spent every possible moment together; in the mornings we ate breakfast together in one of the beachside cafés, during my lunch hours we went surfing and in the evening we did everything from going to dinner and the movies, to sunset walks along the beach. We shared our first kiss right in the middle of the ocean, the sun beating down on us as he pulled me upright in the water when I lost my footing on the surfboard. He tangled his fingers in my long, wet hair and sealed our lips together in the most breathtaking kiss I'd ever experienced and after that, I couldn't get enough._

_When I was with him, I forgot everything else; all I could see was him… that beautiful face, those deep, warm eyes, the gorgeous soft waves of his long hair. I was head over heels for him and he told me he felt the same way. But all too soon, his family vacation was over and he had to fly home to California. We promised that we would keep in touch, that we would meet up again soon, but although the letters and the phone call started off frequent, soon they began to dwindle, eventually stopping just before Christmas that year._

_At first I was angry with him for forgetting about me, for not meaning enough to him to keep writing to me, but eventually – as I grew up and learned the hardships of the real world – I realised that our summer romance had been too good to be true. It had just been a childhood fantasy – something out of a cheesy romance novel; real life wasn't like that at all._

_No, real life was full of disappointments and missed opportunities… and chances were I would never see or hear from Max Evans again in my life._

_TBC…_


	2. Chapter 1

**Part One**

_**December 24th, 2004 – Late Afternoon, Christmas Eve**_

"Shit, shit, fucking shit," muttered Elizabeth Parker under her breath as she raked her eyes across the flight departures board at Newark airport. It appeared that all flights out of Terminal A had been cancelled for the day due to snowstorms in the New York City area. "Well, that's just great. Perfect. Just what I fucking need today."

It was just her luck; it always was these days – nothing seemed to go right for Elizabeth Parker anymore.

First, it was just missing out on a full scholarship to Columbia University almost years ago and having to settle for a partial scholarship plus two part-time jobs just to make ends meet; then it was finding that she didn't have enough money to fly home to Maui for Christmas each year, so she'd had to spend the holidays alone in New York for the past three years. And now, when she'd finally managed to save up enough money to pay for a flight home to see her parents this year, a stupid snowstorm had gone and taken this one opportunity away from her.

With one last pleading glance at the departures board, Elizabeth turned away and flopped down into one of the small, plastic, uncomfortable airport chairs. She closed her eyes, feeling defeated. Why couldn't _anything_ work out the way it was supposed to anymore? She wasn't sure how long she sat there for, her eyes closed as she fought back weary tears, her carry-on backpack on the floor between her legs, the strap loosely dangling between her fingers, but it wasn't until she heard someone sit down beside her, grumbling with frustration over the cancelled flights that she opened her eyes.

For a moment, she forgot to breathe; the man sitting beside her was gorgeous. His short, dark hair was neatly cropped and groomed and he looked to be early-to-mid twenties, or even possibly older, judging by the expensive-looking business suit he wore. His eyes were partly hidden by dark-rimmed glasses, but even so she could tell that he was good-looking, although his perfectly pulled-together demeanour made her feel a little intimidated. Self-consciously, she lifted a hand to her neck, smoothing her fingers through the feathery ends of her short, red-streaked locks in an attempt to look a bit more presentable.

"Goddamn weather," muttered the man to himself, his features scrunching into a scowl as he glanced up at the electronic board one more time. Turning to Elizabeth he added, "It's typical isn't it? I have to get to L.A. in time for Christmas."

"You were on the L.A. flight, too, huh?" she replied, giving him a sympathetic smile when he nodded.

They sat together in silence for several minutes, as Elizabeth watched the departures board like a hawk in case something on it happened to change. But it wasn't long before she gave up with a sigh, sinking further into her seat.

"God, this so frustrating. I was supposed to be spending the holidays with my family, but now I have to figure out what the hell I'm gonna do for the night. My apartment is, like, twenty miles from here and I don't have enough money for a taxi or a shuttle home."

"Well, you never know, if we hang around here long enough, they might get the flights running again," the guy said optimistically.

She just raised an eyebrow and gave him a sceptical look.

"Okay, look, I'll tell you what, why don't we grab some food or something and wait it out for a little while? Maybe the storm will stop soon."

Elizabeth didn't think that would happen anytime soon, but she found herself agreeing nonetheless, although, "I don't have any money for food though."

He flashed her a grin that would have had her going weak at the knees, had it not been for her bad mood.

"Don't worry, it's my treat," he said kindly. "So what do you fancy?"

"Um, thanks," she murmured, flattered. She looked around at what the airport lounge had to offer. "How about TGI's?"

"Sounds good to me," he nodded, as he stood up, gesturing towards the restaurant. "After you."

Elizabeth smiled, as she lifted her bag onto her shoulder and stood up, before turning in the direction of TGI Friday's.

Despite the airport being busy due to the number of cancelled flights that evening, the wait for a table was surprisingly short and they were escorted to a small table for two within only a few minutes. However, it wasn't until they sat down that Elizabeth realised that she did not even know the name of the handsome man sitting opposite her.

"So, um," she broached hesitantly, as she perused the drinks menu. "You didn't tell me your name…"

"Oh," he looked surprised for a moment, before relaxing his features into a warm smile. "I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself. I'm Alexander… although everyone likes to call me Zan for short."

He held out his hand and she shook it in greeting.

"Nice to meet you, Zan. I'm Elizabeth."

"Nice to meet you too, Elizabeth."

They shared an amused glance for a brief few seconds before turning back to the menus and ordering their food. As they began tucking into their steaks a few minutes later, Elizabeth found herself looking at Zan curiously. There was something about him that seemed vaguely familiar, although she couldn't quite place what that something was. Perhaps he just had one of those familiar-looking faces.

They didn't talk much during the meal, but that was okay because they were too busy eating to do much else. A couple of times toward the end, Elizabeth lifted her head to find Zan glancing at her in slight puzzlement, but she quickly shook it off in favour of enjoying her food.

After they had both finished, Zan asked for the check and whisked out his credit card to pay for it before Elizabeth could even see if she had enough cash in her bag to offer a contribution towards the meal, and two minutes later, he was ushering her back out towards the departure area in order to check on the status of their flight.

"This is just great," she moaned, when the electronic board informed them that all flights were cancelled until further notice. "Guess I'm sleeping in the airport tonight, then."

Beside her, Zan was silent for a moment, his expression thoughtful as he looked up at the board.

"You know," he said, turning to her, "you don't _have_ to spend the night in here."

She raised an eyebrow, "Well, I sure as hell can't afford a hotel room."

"No," he shook his head. "I meant that… well, I live only a couple miles from here, and I have a spare bed. You're free to crash there for tonight if you want."

"Oh," Elizabeth hesitated slightly. "Well, I'm not sure… I–"

"Don't worry, I don't bite," he assured her with a quick grin. "You'll be perfectly safe with me, I promise. And at any rate, it's got to be safer than sleeping all alone in the airport."

"Well, you do have a point," she conceded finally. "Okay, fine, I'll stay with you. Thank you for the offer."

"My pleasure," he grinned, his eyes gleaming behind the sophisticated-looking glasses he wore. "So, now that that's settled, shall we make a move?"

"Okay," she returned the smile, feeling strangely at ease with this man she'd only known for an hour or so, as she exited the airport and hailed a taxi with him.

The ride to Zan's apartment took only ten minutes or so and although the atmosphere was relatively relaxed between them, Elizabeth found herself feeling a little apprehensive when the cab came to a stop in front of a tall, modern apartment building and she stepped out.

As they headed inside, Zan offered to carry her backpack and she happily agreed, glad to be free of its heavy weight for a while. He led her up to the third floor and into a new-looking, contemporary apartment. It was decorated fairly sparsely, with a black sofa in the living area, a large flat-screen TV in the corner and a huge working fireplace built into the middle of the wall with several pictures and photographs resting along the mantelpiece. However, the harshness of the furniture was offset by the tall, brightly sparkling Christmas tree standing proudly in the corner of the room by the window and the string of twinkling Christmas lights along the wall above the fireplace, which gave the room a warm, festive feel.

"Nice place," murmured Elizabeth in appreciation as she stepped into the room and took in her surroundings.

"Thanks," smiled Zan as he placed their bags on the floor beside the couch and then headed over to the fireplace to start a fire going. "It's not much to look at, I know, but I've only lived here for a few months, since I graduated college in the summer, so I haven't had time to do much with it."

"You just graduated college?" she asked in surprise. She'd thought he would have been older than that.

He shrugged sheepishly, looking round at her from where he was kneeling in front of the fireplace. "Yeah… NYU, class of 2004."

"Wow," she nodded. "I'm a senior at Columbia."

"Nice," his tone was appreciative as he stood up and gestured to the sofa. "What's your major?"

"Genetics," she admitted, taking a seat on the couch, shifting a little as he sat beside her. "Although I'm minoring in Math."

"Impressive."

She smiled self-consciously at his admiring expression and suddenly she was struck with that familiar feeling again, like she'd seen that look before… but she couldn't place when or where.

They discussed their college experiences and career prospects for a few minutes, as Elizabeth discovered that Zan had majored in Business and Economics and was currently working as a trainee accountant for a well-known business firm in Manhattan and in turn, she told him that she was currently applying for grad schools to study for a masters degree in Genetics next year.

"Hey, would you like something to drink?" offered Zan during a slight lull in the conversation. "I have tea, coffee, OJ, Coke… or beer, if you fancy something stronger."

"A coffee would be great, thanks," replied Elizabeth with a smile.

"Coming right up," he nodded and she watched as he stood up and headed towards a door in the wall to her left.

While he was fixing the coffee, Elizabeth took the opportunity to take in her surroundings in more detail. Standing up, she made her way over to the fireplace, letting the warm flames of the fire heat her jean-clad legs as she perused the collection of photos along the mantelpiece. There was one of Zan in his NYU graduation robes, holding his college diploma and next to it, was another graduation picture, this time, it was a pretty blonde girl who was wearing robes… from UCLA, by the looks of it, and Zan was standing beside her in a blue shirt and grey tie, looking happy, as if he had been laughing at something just before the picture had been taken.

"That's my step-sister," his voice came from behind, startling her. "My parents got divorced when I was seventeen and when my mom remarried two years later, I inherited a step-sister."

"Oh?" she turned her head to look at him, only to find him preoccupied with finding somewhere to place the two coffee mugs he held in his hands. He eventually settled on a small table near the window, putting the mugs down and then dragging the table round in front of the sofa.

"Yeah," he smiled warmly as he stepped towards her. "And in this one," he pointed to the next photo along, "are my best friends from high school. Since we're all scattered around the country now, we meet up for a few beers every few months – in a different city each time. This one was our last get together here in New Jersey a few weeks ago."

Elizabeth found herself feeling strangely warm and comfortable around him as he explained each picture to her in turn and she couldn't help but watch his handsome, animated face as he spoke. She felt so at ease with him that it was almost as if she'd known this man for years, although of course they'd only just met tonight.

"This one is my favourite," murmured Zan, a fond expression gracing his features when he reached the last photo on the mantelpiece. "It was taken when I was just a teenager… I met this really great girl on vacation and even though it was years ago and I should probably just keep it in a box or something, I can't help but smile every time I see it."

Elizabeth turned her attention from his face to the photo… and gasped out loud when she saw it.

_TBC…_


	3. Chapter 2

**Part Two**

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Elizabeth as she gazed at the photograph in disbelief.

"What?" asked Zan, looking puzzled.

But Elizabeth was in too much shock to respond. For standing in the picture was a tanned, almost-blond guy with shoulder-length hair with his arms around a laughing girl with long, dark, wavy hair… a very familiar girl; one that looked just like… her.

"That… that's…" she was having trouble forming words. "But… Max?"

"What?" he said again, sharply this time. "What did you say?"

"Th-that's you?" she stuttered. He nodded. "But, you look so different and… and you're Max… you told me your name was Max."

"Max?" his eyes widened in understanding as his mouth dropped open and it was his turn to say, "Oh my God… Lizzie? Is that you? No way!"

"Way," she stated numbly, nodding as he stared at him in shock.

No wonder she'd thought he seemed familiar tonight… he was only the boy she'd fallen in love with as a carefree, surf-loving fifteen-year-old!

He'd really changed so much though… the boy she remembered was every bit the athletic surfer, complete with long, sun-streaked hair and killer tan; but this man standing in front of her, this dark-haired, glasses-wearing businessman was so completely different from the memory that she was having a hard time piecing it all together.

"I can't believe this…" she muttered. "It's really you?"

"It's me, Lizzie. It's Max," he assured her.

"But I don't understand… why did you say your name was Zan?" she was confused.

He shrugged, "Technically, my name _is_ Zan… well, you know, Alexander to be precise… but when I was a kid, my parents liked to call me by my middle name – Max. Which was fine by me at first, but by the time I finished high school, I thought that _Max_ sounded too young and I decided to use my first name again, so I reverted to Alexander… except that my college friends decided they liked the nickname Zan, and so that's what I came to be known as."

"Wow," breathed Elizabeth. "This is… this is crazy!"

"Just a bit," he agreed with an awed smile.

"God, you've changed so much," she murmured, facing him fully now as she lifted a hand and ran it through his short locks.

"Yeah, well," he shrugged self-consciously. "I didn't think the surfer look would really go down all that well at NYU, so just before I started college, I cut my hair and let it grow back to its natural colour."

"You look so… _professional_," she murmured in awe, still trying to reconcile the memory she had of the sixteen-year-old Max Evans with the man in front of her right now.

"It's the suit," he told her with a chuckle. "And anyway, you're one to talk… you look so different that I didn't even recognise you until about two minutes ago. What happened to all that lovely long hair and gorgeous, tanned skin of yours?"

"I fancied a change," she murmured, reaching up to touch her short hair, before snorting in amusement, "And as for the tan, well, I've spent three and a half years living on the east coast, not being able to afford to fly home to Maui for even a visit… well, until now, that is, but look how that's turned out!"

He looked at her with an intense gaze, "God, I can't believe it's been six years."

Elizabeth sighed nostalgically, murmuring, "That summer was the best of my life."

Max smiled softly, "Mine too."

"I missed you so much, Max." She sucked in a shaky breath, "After the letters stopped…"

"I'm sorry about that," he cut in. "I didn't intend for that letter to be the last; it's just that everything got _really_ busy in my life then, with my parents' divorce and having to deal with that… I just didn't have the time. And then when I didn't hear from you, I just figured that the relationship had run its course and that you'd decided to move on."

"I assumed you were the one who'd moved on," she admitted. "I didn't see the point of continuing to write if you weren't interested anymore."

"Oh, geez, I'm sorry, Lizzie."

Silence fell around them as her eyes locked with his and they gazed at each other sadly. Making a quick decision, Elizabeth she took a hesitant step closer, so that she was barely a foot away from him.

"Can I try something?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Sure," he replied in the same quiet tone, his eyes soft as he looked down at her.

"I just want to see… if it's still the same."

"If what's still the same?"

She sucked in a quick breath, rising on her tiptoes as she lifted her head towards his, "Kissing you."

And then their lips touched, her mouth moving hesitantly against his at first, as she reacquainted herself with his closeness. She smiled when he responded and she felt her head begin to spin… it still felt the same. Even after all these years. Max Evans still had the ability to make her go weak at the knees and her heart pound frantically in her chest. Wanting more, she deepened the kiss, bringing her arms up to wind around his neck, shivering when she felt his arms wrap around her waist, holding her tight against him.

"Wow," she breathed, when they finally parted and she gazed up at him in awe.

"Yeah," his intense gaze searched hers as he smiled down at her, his hands resting on her hips.

She shook her head with a soft smile, "God, I just can't believe this… after all this time…" Her expression turned more serious, "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Me too," he added. "You know what I can't believe? That we've been living here, in the same city, all this time and didn't even know it."

"Oh my God, you're right," her eyes widened slightly. "So close and yet so far, huh?"

"Yeah," he nodded as he looked down at her, his expression appreciative. "God, you look _amazing_ all grown up."

"Thanks… and I could say the same thing to you," she grinned.

"This is so surreal," he murmured a moment later, as he extracted his arms from her body. "Why don't we sit down – we have _a lot_ of catching up to do."

"We certainly do," she agreed as he gestured towards the sofa and they took a seat. "So, tell me first, before we go any further, is there a girl in the picture for you right now?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he grinned widely and for a moment she was reminded of the self-confident, almost cocky, teenager she'd known him to be six years ago.

"Be serious," she admonished playfully, rolling her eyes at him.

His expression sobered and he gazed at her intently, "No, there's no one right now. I just got out of a two-year relationship over the summer and to be honest, I haven't really been looking since then."

"Oh," she nodded, taking that in.

If he wasn't looking, then did that mean he wouldn't be interested in _her_ right now?

"What about you?" he turned the question around. "Anyone special in your life at the moment?"

"No, I'm single," she admitted. "I'm mostly just trying to concentrate on my studies at the moment."

"Oh," he nodded, mimicking her reaction from just a moment ago. "So, then… we're both stuck here in New Jersey for the night; we both haven't seen each other for over six years; we're both single …"

"Yeah," Elizabeth murmured, her gaze fixed on his handsome face. "We are."

There was an awkward silence between them and she looked away, suddenly very interested in the decorations on the Christmas tree. Beside her, Max shifted uncomfortable on the couch before sitting perfectly still. Neither of them said or did anything for several moments, until Elizabeth made the mistake of glancing over at him one more time, to find him gazing at her with barely concealed lust in his eyes. He shifted again, this time to face her, and his suit-pant-covered thigh brushed against her jean-clad one.

That was all it took.

Before Elizabeth even had time to think, Max's mouth was on hers again, his lips urgent and demanding as he seemed to be attempting to make up for not having kissed her for more than six years. She complied eagerly, almost unable to believe that Max, _her_ Max, from that amazing summer in Maui, was actually here, close enough to touch and kiss.

Wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, she lost herself in his warm embrace as his tongue begged entrance to her mouth. Her lips parted eagerly and they sank back against the couch cushions as he deepened the kiss. She felt a thrill race down her spine as his warm body settled over hers, his hands gliding up her sides, creating the most delicious sensations she'd ever experienced.

It was crazy, even her most vivid, most amazing memories from that one perfect summer they spent together, couldn't even hold a candle to the way she felt in his arms right this moment.

Why, oh, why had she not made more effort to keep in touch with Max Evans all those years ago? She would have called him, emailed, done anything she could to keep in contact, if she'd realised that he hadn't wanted their contact to cease either. If only she'd known that back then.

She forgot her musings for a moment, as Max sat up, bringing her with him and then peeled her cardigan from her body, discarding it on the floor. In return, she reached for his suit jacket, sliding it over his shoulders and down his arms, before letting it drop to the floor beside her cardigan. Next came his tie, which also ended up on the floor, and the Elizabeth boldly reached for the buttons on his shirt, undoing each one with slightly shaky hands. Max just sat there and let her rid him of his shirt, although his gaze never wandered from the thin, pale pink top she wore and as soon as his shirt was gone, he reached for it and tugged it over her head.

For a moment, neither of them moved; Elizabeth was too caught up in the sight of his familiar bare chest, which brought back vivid memories of when he used to parade around the sand in his surfing gear, but now, it looked even better – Max Evans really had grown up as well; his chest was well-muscled, his abdomen more defined that it had been before and his shoulders were broader. He had definitely filled out. Max, on the other hand, couldn't seem to tear his eyes from her bra-clad chest and Elizabeth suddenly felt self-conscious in the lacy black bra she'd blindly grabbed out of her underwear drawer this morning.

Max suddenly exhaled heavily, startling her, and she worried for a moment that he was having second thoughts. However, barely a second later, his hand shot out to encase hers and he nodded towards one of the doors on the other side of the room.

"Shall we?"

"Y-you mean…?" she left the remainder of the sentence unspoken.

"Yeah… if you want to," he nodded. "I don't think the sofa is really the best place for this, do you?"

"No, I guess not," she smiled softly, suddenly feeling more at ease again. She nodded, "Okay."

He gave her a small, warm smile, before climbing off the couch, his hand still in hers and urging her to follow him. They reached his bedroom within seconds and the moment the door shut behind them, he turned to face her, pressing her up against the door as he captured her lips with his in a frantic embrace.

They took their time reacquainting themselves with each other and Elizabeth soaked up every single tiny detail of the experience, from the gentle, yet dizzying, way that Max's lips caressed hers, to the absolute completeness she felt when they made love for the first, second, even third time that night. It was like she couldn't get enough of him. Never mind that they'd only known each other for a matter of weeks six years ago, Max Evans was her first love and it seemed that not time, nor even maturity had changed that. Back then he had made her feel things she'd never felt before and despite growing up since then and now having a few more years of experience behind her, she was amazed that he could still make her feel those same things… only this time, everything was so much more intense.

As they lay together after three exhausting rounds of lovemaking, Elizabeth couldn't keep the wide, blissful smile off her face. Suddenly she was very glad that New York had experienced a snowstorm tonight and that her plane to L.A. had been cancelled. Had everything gone smoothly at the airport, she may well have gotten on that plane completely unaware of Max being on the very same flights as her and they might never have met up again at all.

"Wow, that was amazing," murmured Max in awe, as he tightened his arm around her shoulder.

"It was incredible," she agreed, snuggling closer to him.

"I can't believe we never did this all those years ago. Look what we were missing out on back then."

Elizabeth shook her head in amusement, "Max, we were just teenagers then."

"I know that," he shrugged, a smile playing on his face. "But imagine if we hadn't found each other again tonight? We might never have realised sex could be this good."

"I know what you mean," she nodded. "It's never felt like this before."

"For me, either."

Elizabeth frowned thoughtfully for a moment, before smiling and lifting her head to look up at him, "You think maybe fate's trying to tell us something here?"

"Perhaps," chuckled Max. "But whatever it is, I'm just very, very glad that we ran into each other again."

"Me too," replied Elizabeth as she yawned tiredly and her eyes began to drift closed. "Me too."

"Merry Christmas, Lizzie," he murmured softly as they settled down to sleep.

"Merry Christmas, Max." 

_TBC…_


	4. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_**New Year's Eve, 2005 – One year later**___

"Wow, I can't believe I'm here," I murmured, as Lizzie and I walked hand-in-hand across the Kapalua beach in Maui, watching the sun setting on the horizon. "It's been so long that I never imagined that I'd ever have the chance to come back here again. And I especially didn't imagine that I might be here with you again someday."

"I know," said Lizzie, smiling up at me, her eyes full of happiness. "I almost can't believe it either."

"You know, the time we spent together right here on this beach that summer is one of my fondest memories," I admitted then, smiling as I remember those long-ago summer days… and nights.

"Yeah," nodded Lizzie beside me.

"It was great," I continued. "No responsibilities, no pressures, no difficult life decisions… just you and me enjoying ourselves and letting loose. Sometimes I just wish I could go back to that time – back when everything was simple."

"I know what you mean," she replied wistfully, resting her head on my upper arm as we walked.

I smiled down at her and then gently extracted my hand from hers and reached round to slip my arm around her shoulders, hugging her close to me. I closed my eyes briefly as the sweet scent of her shampoo wafted in my direction under the warm breeze.

"I'm so glad you're here with me," she murmured softly. "It's been such an amazing year for us and it only seems right that we say goodbye to it and welcome in 2006 together… in the very same place we first met."

It was true, it had_ been an amazing year for us. We'd shared so much together, from the moment We'd woken up together in my apartment last Christmas morning; to the cold New York January night when we'd gone on our first date in over six years – a far cry from the afternoon of surfing that had been our official first date as teenager, mind you; to the warm day in May, just after Lizzie's college graduation when I had finally pushed aside my nervousness and asked her to move in with me; and right through to six weeks ago, when Lizzie invited me to join her and her family for Christmas and New Year in Maui… an invitation I didn't hesitate to say yes to. It had been the best year of me life… but I still felt that there was something missing, something I was determined to put right this very evening._

As we approached the old surf shop where Lizzie had been working that summer when she and I first met, I tightened my arm around her slightly and she looked up at me in question.

"Do you remember?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper as I nodded toward the shop.

She nodded, a smile playing on her lips, "As if I could ever forget."

"I fell in love with you that first day, you know," I murmured honestly. "I saw you through the shop window and that was it. I just had to come in and talk to you… find out who you were."

"It was love at first sight then," she decided, her gaze turning to focus on the old wooden building at the edge of the sand for a moment. "'Cause that was the moment I fell in love with you too."

My heart skipped a beat at her admission and I smiled widely.

"Lizzie," I said gently, as I urged her to stop and turn to face me. I gazed down into her beautiful dark eyes as I took both of her hands in mine and spoke again, "I love you; I always have. You mean the whole world to me and even though we were apart for so long, now that I've found you again, I never want to let you go."

She nodded earnestly, her eyes brimming with emotion, "I feel the same way, Max. I love you so much."

I couldn't help but smile down at her, "So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Lizzie; I want to make a life with you, I want to have children with you and I want to grow old with you."

"Oh, Max…" murmured Liz, shaking her head as she bit her lip, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as I sank down on one knee in the warm sand. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small black box, opening it as I asked, "Elizabeth Parker, will you marry me?"

"Oh…"she gasped, her eyes wide with surprise before she broke out in a big smile. "Yes."

My heart leapt at the word and I grinned.

"Yes," she said again, her voice stronger as she nodded emphatically. "Of course, I will Max Evans."

"Really?" I wanted to be sure.

"Really," she confirmed. "I love you so much. And I want all those things with you too."

I grinned as I took out the ring. Reaching for her small, delicate hand, I slid the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit… thank goodness that she liked to leave her jewellery lying around the apartment so I could sneakily borrow one of her rings for the sizing.

"Lizzie," I murmured as I stood up and took her into my arms. "You have just made me the happiest man in the world."

She laughed freely at my cheesy proclamation at first, but then she looked into my eyes her expression full of love, "And you have just made me the happiest woman in the world. I love you."

"And I you," I smiled, my eyes searching hers as I lowered my lips to hers for a breath-taking, mind-numbing kiss.

"Happy New Year, Lizzie," I said softly. "My beautiful soon-to-be wife."

"Happy New Year, Max," she grinned in return. "My handsome husband-to-be."

We were married eight months later on the very beach where we met for the first time and where I proposed to her seven-and-a-half years after that first meeting… our wedding day was the ninth anniversary of the day we first kissed… and it was the best day of my life.

Maui's Kapalua beach will forever hold a very special place in my heart. It was where I met the love of my life; it was where I proposed to her; it was where I married her and it is where we have made our home.

Happy Holidays, everyone.

Or as they say here in Hawaii…

Hau'oli Lanui.

**End**


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